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Frequently Asked Questions


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Question:What notation software/program do you recommend?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:The notation software which we use every day is Finale® from Coda Music Technology. Coda has several notation programs available at different levels and prices with different capabilities, Finale being the top of the line. It can take a little effort to learn how to utilize all of Finale's power, but it will allow you to do nearly anything you want in your score. Coda's other products work in the same way but have fewer features, which may make these easier to learn at first. There is even a free program from coda called Finale Notepad, which can be downloaded from their web site for either Mac or Windows. A free demo is available from Coda's website (www.codamusic.com).

There are other notation programs out there, but we have had the best experience with Finale. If your goal is to be published, we recommend that you use Finale or one of its related programs.

Question:What format are your videos in? Will they work in my player?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:The vast majority of the videos we sell are in DVD non-region encoded format. Some of the videos we offer come from other manufacturers and are region specific. The NTSC format is appropriate for players in the US, Canada, and Japan. European players require PAL format. If we offer a DVD in both formats, they will be listed separately on our site. You can often get PAL format videos from the manufacturers themselves. Just contact us if you need a referral.

Question:Does Mel Bay sell instruments?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:Mel Bay sells only a few small instruments, such as harmonicas, tinwhistles, pan flutes, ocarinas, and recorders. A complete listing of available intruments is in the Accessories and Instruments category.

Question:I am a music teacher. Can I get a review copy of one of your books?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:Requests for review copies need to be submitted on letterhead with school/business name included and information on what class(es) the review copies are being considered for. Requests can be faxed, mailed or e-mailed. It is not necessary for review/desk copies to be returned.

Question:What is your return policy?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:You can find our return policy here.

Question:The web site says that the item I want has been discontinued. Do you still have any?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:No. When we discontinue an item that means we no longer have any to sell and we will not be getting any more. Retail stores may have unsold copies still in stock, but we do not track those copies and we cannot tell you where to get the item.

Question:Why don't you offer more books with spiral binding?
Category: Miscellaneous
Answer:We do offer several books in spiral bound format, however we cannot offer all books in that format for marketing reasons. While we understand that the end users of our products often prefer spiral binding, we also have to consider the retail market. Stores do not like spiral bound products because they do not stand up on shelves or in browser bins and they do not have spines with the titles on them. The spiral binding also can get tangled and bent during shipping, and can scratch covers and tear page edges. Bookstores do not accept any spiral bound products. It is also much cheaper for us to produce perfect bound books than spiral bound books. We must balance all of these considerations when deciding what binding to use for a product.

You may want to inquire at your local copy shop about what binding services they offer.




   
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